Tuesday, June 28, 2016

An Emergency Dentist for Kids in Chicago Should Be Part of Your Healthcare Plan

Emergency Dentist
When you are planning for healthcare, be sure to add an emergency dentist for kids in Chicago to your list. Having children brings about many changes. The need to find a pediatrician, daycare providers, and a children’s dentist. As a dentist, we know many parents are confused about when and if they actually need to take their kids to the dentist. If you are a first-time parent, the confusion is completely understandable – there is a great deal to learn! Just know that you definitely do need a dentist for your child, you should bring them in around one year of age, and you need a dentist you can call in emergencies.

Why do I need an emergency dentist for kids?

It’s simple, really. Children are accident-prone. Whether your teething toddler falls down while learning to walk and bumps their front tooth, your preschooler hits their teeth on the playground or your older child has a sports accident, the bottom line is that accidents happen. There is no way to control when they will, nor is there a good way to avoid them. The best you can do is to keep your children's teeth healthy and strong, hoping that they will be able to withstand the impact. If they cannot, if they break, crack, or chip, you need a dentist you can call right away. In these situations, we are here to help.

What does an emergency dentist for kids do?

We do it all. Our dental office in Chicago is a traditional pediatric dentistry office that provides preventative and restorative dental care. That means we can clean their teeth, treat decay, and restore damaged teeth. The difference between our office and the typical dentist is that we also provide emergency care. We understand that just like you cannot prevent accidents, you cannot tell when they will happen. For this reason, we offer appointments outside of the standard nine to five, and we always leave room in our schedule for emergencies. That way, when your child needs help, they can get it without the need to wait for a week or two to come in.

Will my insurance cover an emergency dentist for kids?

That depends on your dental insurance. However, since we are a pediatric dentistry office, we do work with most insurance providers. We do not offer emergency care only, but rather, we offer all types of dental care. This means the procedures your children need should be covered as long as you have a comprehensive dental plan. If you do not and you want to discuss other payment arrangements, let us know so we can help find solutions for you.

Shouldn’t I just take my kids to the ER?

No. If your child hurts their tooth, do not take them to the ER but call an emergency dentist for kids instead. ER doctors are highly trained, but they are not trained in dentistry. Your child will not receive the level of care they need from the ER.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Visit Mitchell Dental Spa for a Dental Cleaning and Examinations

Dental Cleaning and Examinations
When you visit Mitchell Dental Spa for a dental cleaning and examinations, we will take the time to get to know you and the concerns you have for your health and the appearance of your smile. We have a variety of dental solutions we can use to correct everything from a toothache to gum disease and a chipped tooth. Whether you are concerned that your gums may be receding or you do not like a gap in between your teeth, let us know. We will be happy to come up with a customized treatment plan to address these issues.

During your appointment, we will conduct a physical examination, along with taking x-rays, so we can see the condition of your tooth structure and jawbone. This will help us determine if you are suffering from resorption, need a root canal, or simply need to have your teeth cleaned. By cleaning your teeth twice a year, we can decrease your risk of getting cavities and help keep you healthy so you do not require any further dental care. Ongoing preventative care can help to make this possible, but it requires consistency on your part.

During a dental cleaning and examinations, Mitchell Dental Spa will also check the enamel on your teeth to look for signs of erosion. Your teeth only have a set amount of enamel. Over time, that enamel can wear away, exposing the porous dentin underneath. Your nerve endings are contained here, and without a protective layer of enamel, you can experience sensitivity and discomfort while eating or drinking. There are solutions like desensitizing toothpaste that can help, but this is only a temporary measure. If your enamel is eroded, the only way to permanently solve the problem is with a dental restoration. We can use dental bonding or a dental crown to help protect your tooth and reduce or eliminate the sensitivity. Keep in mind that you do not need to treat all of your teeth. If the enamel has worn away on only one or two, we can address those ones only, so no unnecessary dental work has to be done. As a benefit, any restoration we complete can be made to look natural and blend in with the surrounding teeth. That way, no one can tell which teeth were ever damaged or restored.

While performing a dental cleaning and examinations, Mitchell Dental Spa also look for signs of oral cancer. This is incredibly important because it is difficult to see the inside of your mouth, making early detection next to impossible without the help of a professional. We can look for signs such as red and white bumps or rough patches that could be indicative of cancerous cells. One person dies every day from oral cancer, and early detection is the key to defeating the disease. With that in mind, if you smoke, chew tobacco, drink a lot of alcohol, are exposed to a lot of sun, or have the HPV virus, you need to have an oral cancer screening once per year. Fortunately, we can incorporate this into your dental exam, making it easy to do both at the same time.